One of those Days, The Light
by Cassy27
Summary: When a mysterious Light appears in Camelot, it seems to be living by taking people's energy. As it grows more powerful, extreme measures must be made to destroy it. Will Merlin be strong enough? Can Prince Arthur keep his people safe?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: When a mysterious Light appears in Camelot, it seems to be living of people's energy. As it grows more powerful, extreme measures must be made to destroy it. Will Merlin be strong enough? Can Prince Arthur keep his people safe?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: Any and all mistakes are completely my own. This story takes place after season 2, but none of season 3 has happened here... Let's just assume this is a different way events could have happened.**

**The title ('One of those Days') comes from a song sung by Joshua Radin (one of my favorite artists). It means that it appears to be an ordinary day in Camelot when suddenly, a threat appears and Merlin and Arthur must face it. This threat is different, however, and if you want to know how different, then you'll have to read the story =)**

**Thank you for clicking on this story and reading this first chapter. I hope it is a good start and I hope that you'll leave me a comment, review or message.**

**Enjoy reading!**

**One of those Days – The Light**

**Chapter 1**

It was the sound that had drawn Merlin close. A soft ringing that grew louder and louder as the young sorcerer got near, but nothing extraordinary could be seen, nothing that explained where the sound might be coming from. Merlin slowly walked through the halls of the castle, listening to the ringing and trying to determine what was causing it. He really should be getting to Arthur for work, but this sound was simply too strange to be ignored.

Turning into another hallway, Merlin came to a stop, his gaze caught by a large, bright, white light. It was floating in the air, sparkles within the cloudy substance and it seemed to have sensed Merlin was near. Its shape transformed, it grew and its soft ringing became louder as if it were pleased.

Before the young servant could do anything, the Light was before him and suddenly, Merlin was consumed, surrounded by nothing else but brightness. It was an absolutely spectacular view and Merlin felt himself strangely relax. It was beautiful, like a thousand stars were surrounding him. A dizziness got a hold of him, however, but the young sorcerer didn't mind. He could only think of its beauty, of the warmth that the Light held. His eyelids felt very heavy all of a sudden as if he was falling asleep right there where he stood.

And then it was gone.

Merlin took in a deep breath, feeling his arms and legs tremble. He tried to understand what had just happened when he noticed a girl sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees and her head bowed forward. He couldn't recognize her at first, but then he saw that it was Gwen.

He would have rushed towards her if he had been able to. All that he could do, was take one step at a time and make sure that he wouldn't fall by losing his balance.

"Did you see it?" Gwen asked, her voice high. She turned her head to look at Merlin who could see dark circles underneath her eyes. She looked absolutely exhausted and that was exactly how Merlin felt himself.

"I saw it," Merlin told her. Only one thought filled his mind; magic. What else could that have been? The mere force that it possessed, told Merlin that it couldn't have been something harmless. Kneeling down besides Gwen, he was certain that she had been inside the Light as well now, there simply was no more doubt.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Gwen nodded, swallowing heavily as she obviously was trying to understand what had just happened.

"Where has it gone?" she quickly asked, glancing around to see anything out of the ordinary.

Merlin couldn't help but glance along. He certainly didn't want the Light to happen to him or Gwen again as the dizziness was only now starting to wear of. The exhaustion was still present, however, and Merlin silently longed for his bed.

"I..." Merlin turned to look behind him, wanting to make sure that the Light was gone, "I don't know."

Gwen nodded, seemingly relieved that it was gone. "We should tell the King," she told Merlin, sure that it was the best thing to do, "he should know about this."

Merlin wanted to say no, but Uther truly needed to be aware of this. What if the Light attacked more people? Panic would spread through Camelot and that would surely end in people dying. There was another option, however, one that Merlin knew would be better.

"Maybe we should Arthur first," Merlin suggested, "he'll believe us."

"You think Uther won't?" Gwen seemed to be confused by that thought, but then again, everything seemed to confuse her now. That Light had done her no good. Merlin straightened his back, wanting to stand up. He lost his balance, however, and fell down, Gwen grabbing his arm just in time to prevent him from knocking his head on the floor.

That Light had done him no good either.

Pushing himself up on his arms now, he went to sit next to Gwen, leaning against the cold stone wall, his breath rasping in his chest.

Gwen didn't say anything, she only gazed at Merlin.

"What was that?" Merlin exhaled, trying to figure what had just happened, why had lost his balance like that.

"That...light," Gwen sighed, "I feel very tired, Merlin." She let her head fall sideways, having it rest on Merlin shoulder. "I just want to sleep."

"I know the feeling," Merlin said, closing his eyes as well. "Let's just rest for a little while."

"No!" Gwen's voice came very loud. She pushed herself away from the wall and slowly stood up on her feet. Grabbing Merlin's hand, she pulled him up as well. "We need to go to Arthur," she said, "there is no time to sleep now."

Merlin could only agree. Slowly, they headed for the Prince's quarters, needing him to know what had just happened to them.

-o-o-

Arthur was eying Merlin with suspicion in his gaze. It seemed he wasn't sure if he could trust a word his servant was telling him. It was a strange story after all. A big white light had attacked him and Gwen only to have disappeared the next moment.

"What I am saying is true," Merlin said, taking a step towards the young Prince. He felt better already, but his legs were still trembling slightly. He needed Arthur to believe him. The Light might not appear harmful, Merlin knew the situation could not be trusted.

"So you say you saw a big white light come at you," Arthur frowned as he spoke, "and you felt _tired_ when it...left?"

Merlin didn't like the way Arthur was talking about this. He knew the Prince would have been skeptical, but this was simple disbelief and Merlin needed Arthur to believe in him. Every instinct inside him told him that something needed to be done about this Light and here he stood, trying to convince a spoiled Prince that he was telling the truth. Why did Arthur never just trust in him?

Certainly he would trust in Gwen?

"Gwen will tell you the same," Merlin said, his voice hard as he was annoyed with the situation, "she felt it as well."

Gwen wasn't present, however. She had felt very faint and so Merlin had told her to get something to eat. Perhaps that would strengthen her.

Arthur didn't say anything, he only bit his lower lip as he tried to think of what he could do, of what his best options were. Slowly nodding his head, he finally seemed to belief in his servant. "I will have to talk to Guinevere as well," he spoke, "and my father will have to be present."

Merlin felt a faint smile play around his lips. He always felt a sense of satisfaction when Arthur trusted him.

"If what you're saying is true," Arthur continued speaking, "then Camelot might be facing a threat like it has never seen before. People will panic and that will lead to unnecessary deaths."

Merlin nodded. Arthur was right. They needed to avoid panicking people, but at the same time, they needed to handle this quickly. For some reason, Merlin felt that this Light wasn't as harmless as it appeared.

-o-o-

When Merlin returned to Gaius' personal chambers, he felt relieved that he would finally be able to get some rest. Sleep would do him some good, but seeing Gaius' troubled face, Merlin knew he could not just leave his uncle alone like this.

"What's wrong?" he asked, letting himself drop down at the table. Gaius had been present when Merlin and Gwen had testified about the Light to the King, but the young sorcerer hadn't been able to properly speak to him in private.

"Another six people have witnessed the Light," Gaius sighed as he was collecting herbs from his shelf, "they all have symptoms of exhaustion and dehydration."

"So the Light is truly doing something to the people?" Merlin asked, needing Gaius to confirm this thought for him. The old physician only nodded and Merlin felt himself swallow heavily. He had been inside the Light, did that mean something was wrong with him now?

"It doesn't seem that there is permanent damage," Gaius explained, seemingly knowing what was on his ward's mind, "but there must be something more going on."

"Like what?" Merlin asked, trying to understand where Gaius was going with all this, "do you think a sorcerer is responsible for this?"

Gaius sighed deeply, taking all the herbs he had collected and placing them on the table in front of Merlin. "There is no scientific explanation for this Light," he spoke softly, "there must be magic involved."

Merlin nodded. It had been his first thoughts as well. What else could there truly be? Even the way it had made him feel felt like it was something unnatural.

"What did you see?" Gaius asked, sitting down at the table as well now, "when you were inside the Light, what did you see?"

Merlin took a moment to recall that moment. It had all been so overwhelming that he had now really wanted to remember. "It was..." he searched for the right word, "beautiful."

Gaius raised one eyebrow as he waited on Merlin to explain further.

"It was very bright," the young sorcerer told him, "like the way a diamond shines in the sunlight, only it was everywhere. I was completely absorbed by it and I felt how it was drawing power out of me." Merlin was deep in thought, trying to remember every detail. "It was taking my life force and I didn't mind because...I wanted the moment to last just a second longer. It had me completely mesmerized."

"I must find out what this is exactly," Gaius said, glancing around towards the hundreds of books that stood neatly in their bookcases, "and I believe it will take me quiet some time."

"I'll help you," Merlin offered, already getting up from his seat.

"No," Gaius quickly said, "you need rest. I do not have a clue what the Light did with you or with all the others that have been inside it, but I do know that it has been exhausting you. You need some sleep."

Merlin wanted to protest, but he realized that there was no point. He was very tired after all and Gaius wouldn't allow Merlin to help him anyway. Nodding, he left for his own bedchamber and let himself fall down on his bed. Before he even realized it, he was fast asleep, forgetting about the Light and only dreaming of something he wouldn't even remember in the morning.

**AN: The first chapter is done. It's always exiting to wait and see what you guys thing of it. What are your first thoughts? Do you think this can be good or do you doubts? Any and all feedback is welcome, of course. I want this story to be good as it has been toying around in my head for quiet some time already...**

**Please stick around for the second chapter...a lot is bound to happen that will change the lives of everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: Any and all mistakes are completely my own.**

**Thanks to those that left me a review for the first chapter. They encouraged me to write this second chapter so quickly. I hope it will be liked and I hope that you'll let me know what you think of it.**

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 2**

Merlin awoke with a shock, sweat making his hair stick to his forehead. He had dreamed about the Light, that much he remembered, but he simply could not remember what it had been about exactly. Wiping the sweat away from his forehead with the back of his hand, he closed his eyes again. It couldn't have been a pleasant dream.

Taking in a deep breath, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

There was a long day ahead of him. Glancing outside of his small window, he saw the sun had only started to rise and so Merlin had some time to eat something before he would be needing to head towards the Prince. Those thoughts made him smile. He always enjoyed slow mornings. He didn't have many as he, more than on one occasion, overslept and found himself running to be on time for work.

-o-o-

Arthur stood before the King. Their gazes were locked and only worry could be read in both of their eyes. This was something neither of them had faced before and so they were almost clueless about what they were supposed to do next. Most of the time, someone knew what was happening, someone understood what needed to be done.

This time, they seemed to be facing this threat alone.

"There have been three more reports of sightings of the Light," Uther spoke after a short moment of silence, "you must go down to the poorer streets of the city where the Light has been witnessed and you must see to it that there is no chaos."

Arthur nodded his head. He would need to take a few knights along with him if he wanted to make sure he would be able to control the crowd. Panic would surely be present and a strong presence of knights might just reassure the people of Camelot that everything was still under control.

"Inform Gaius as well," Uther continued speaking, "those people attacked might need medical care."

"Of course, father," Arthur spoke.

"Report back to me as soon as you have returned," Uther said before Arthur was able to leave the Council Chamber. The King rose from his throne and took a step closer towards his son. "Be careful, Arthur," he looked his son straight into the eyes, "we do not know yet what we are facing."

Arthur cast down his gaze. He wasn't used to seeing his father show compassion and certainly not towards him. They had never been very close, but now that Uther had spoken those words to him, Arthur felt oddly reassured.

His father did worry about his safety and Arthur could only think that he shared that feeling. Swallowing heavily, the young Prince left behind his father, not saying one word.

-o-o-

Merlin would have headed straight for the Prince's quarters had he not heard the voices of a couple of knights emanating from inside the weapons chamber. He normally would not care much for the chatter of a few knights, but he immediately realized what they were talking about. It seemed they as well were not sure what to do once facing this mysterious Light.

Merlin couldn't blame them. Their swords would be pointless, their fighting skills would not be much of a help either. The Light would simply surround them, not caring a sword was pointed towards it. Merlin would have listened a little longer to the conversation, but he knew Arthur was waiting for him.

Arriving at the Prince's chambers, he entered to find Arthur standing before his window, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his gaze distant.

"Arthur?" He wasn't sure if the Prince would even hear him. He seemed very deep in thought, but Arthur turned around, his gaze immediately locking with his servant's.

"Merlin," Arthur greeted him surprisingly cheery, "good that you're here. You must inform Gaius that his expertise is needed in the lower parts of the city. The Light has attacked more people and they medical attention."

Merlin only nodded as Arthur walked over to where his bed stood.

"Help him with this task," the Prince continued speaking, "he might need assistance."

"What are you going to do?" Merlin asked, frowning. He wasn't used to Arthur sending him away to help Gaius, not in times like these.

"I am going to try and reassure the people of Camelot," Arthur sighed, "They must know we have everything under control." Lifting up his sword up from his bed, he gazed into Merlin's eyes. The servant could see a strange gaze of worry in the Prince's eyes.

"Do we?" Merlin asked, but he only saw Arthur frowning, not understanding what he was talking about. "Do we have everything under control?" He clarified.

The young Prince took in a deep breath. "I don't know," he admitted, "we don't even know what this Light is, what is does and what it wants. I don't know how to fight it."

Merlin nodded his head. Gaius might have a clue to how they could take care of the Light, but that still didn't mean he was right. Going up against the Light unprepared could lead to death, Merlin was sure of it. It was simply too early for them to have answers already.

"Now go," Arthur ordered, "Gaius will need you."

-o-o-

Merlin and Gaius were walking through the streets of Camelot and found it strangely abandoned. This was not a sight they were used to seeing. Normally, people would be surrounding them, making it almost impossible for them to move forward. Today, however, that was all different. In the distance, an older woman was awaiting them and Gaius and Merlin hurried over to meet her.  
She had long gray hair and a kind face, her eyes a very dark brown. She smiled, but it wasn't very convincing.

"Miss Gray," Gaius greeted her.

"Gaius," Miss Gray smiled, "please call me Meredith. Thank you for coming."

"Meredith," Gaius said, "what is wrong?"

"My son needs help," she whispered, her voice very weak. Merlin could see the hurt that was present in her eyes and he immediately felt sorry for her.

Gaius only nodded and followed Meredith inside of her little house. Her son lay in the corner of the chamber, his knees pulled up high against his chest, a fever clearly taking control over his body.

Gaius didn't hesitate and kneeled down next to him. Merlin could see the young man had once been handsome, his black curls held something mysterious, but not today. Dark circles surrounded his eyes and his skin was pale, almost colorless and he shivered tremendously.

"He was attacked by the Light?" Gaius asked.

Meredith only nodded. She pushed back tears that were trying to invade her eyes and all that Merlin wanted to do, was reassure her. He was short on words, however, and so he held his lips tightly together. He refused to promise Meredith that everything would be alright when he could see that his words might as well be a horrible lie.

"Will he be okay?" she asked, her voice high.

Gaius was working on the young man, ignoring Meredith's question.

"Gaius will do what he can," Merlin told her, knowing that this was not a lie. "He's the best physician in Camelot."

"My Thomas has always been a strong child," Meredith sighed, not taking her gaze off of her son, "he has never been ill and he is a hard worker. I am so worried."

Merlin swallowed heavily. He couldn't begin to imagine how terrible Meredith was feeling now. She could only watch as her son was in pain, as he was suffering from the effects of the Light. All that Merlin could think of, however, was how lucky he had been. The Light had only been weak when it had attacked him and Gwen. The only symptom he had felt was exhaustion.

The Light was obviously gaining strength and its victims were growing in number and Merlin realized that it was only a matter of time before it would cause death.

-o-o-

Uther had never seen anything like this before, nor had he heard of it. This Light could cause some serious damage and should his enemies be aware of the weakened state of Camelot, of the panic that was growing within his people, they would surely plan to attack. Uther could not allow that to happen. His first concern was defending his land, defending Camelot, but he wasn't sure how to do so.

The eyes of everyone in the Council Chamber were upon him, the eyes of noble man and women, of knights and servants. They waited for him to speak, to break the silence that had been filling the air for some moments now.

"My son and his fellow knights are managing the situation," he finally spoke, his voice filled with authority, "I can assure you that this Light will soon be taking care off."

"But what is it?" a noble man demanded to know.

Uther immediately recognized him as Lord Griffiths. He was a good friend of the King, never ashamed to speak his mind and Uther admired that in a man.

"It is caused by magic," Uther explained. He let his gaze fall on everyone in the room, "sorcery is something evil, something that must be stopped no matter what the price is." He paused a moment, letting his words linger in the air. "I will defeat this, we will win this battle. Have faith."

"It is causing panic," it was Sir Richard who spoke now, "people are ill when they have been attacked. What does that mean?"

"I do not know," Uther spoke in honesty, "Gaius, our Court Physician, is working on it. He will stop at nothing to find answers."

"It could be anywhere," Lord Griffiths spoke again, "it could be attacking anyone. Can we not predict where it will strike next? Which victims he seeks out?"

"The attacks are random," Uther explained, "I do not know what will happen next."

A low rumble suddenly sounded and Uther could see everyone in the chamber hold their breaths. In the middle of the Council Chamber, the air seemed to...rupture. Out of nowhere, the Light appeared. Uther wanted to reassure his people, he wanted to ask them not to panic, but it was already too late. Women screamed, servants tried to fled and the knights drew out their swords.

It was all in vain, Uther soon realized. The Light could not be harmed by their mortal weapons and all that it did, was surround them, leaving the knights motionless on the floor.

Uther could only swallow heavily as he saw how the Light was coming for him now.

**AN: That was it again. The second chapter has finished. I know it ends in a rather evil cliffhanger, but I promise you all that I will post the third chapter as soon as possible.**

**Read & Review, please :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 3**

Arthur did not know what he saw. He tried to understand, he tried to comprehend, but it seemed every thought had disappeared from his mind. His body stood perfectly still and even though he wanted to move, he could not. His breath was caught inside his chest and he could see black dots already appear around the edges of his vision.

Behind him, a voice called out his name. He wanted to react, but he couldn't. Not yet. He took in every detail from the scene before him. Four servants lay at his feet, their bodies so very still, they eyes shut. He could see their chests rising and falling, he could see the thin layer of sweat on their skin.

Six noble men and women lay before the servants. It seemed they had tried to leave this chamber as well, but obviously, they had failed. They as well lay motionless, their breaths very shallow. Knights were unconscious as well, swords laying across the chamber and near the throne lay Uther.

The King didn't move, he didn't shout at Arthur to do something, to get help or to solve this problem. He lay completely still. It was only now that Arthur moved. Stepping over the servants, noble men and women and stepping over the knights, he finally reached his father. His skin looked gray, unhealthy and dark circles covered his eyes as if the King hadn't slept in days.

Arthur kneeled down beside the King, feeling with the back of his hand if he was still breathing. He was and so Arthur turned Uther so he would lay on his back.

"Arthur?" the voice called again.

The Prince looked back, seeing Merlin stand among the unconscious bodies of so many people.

"Get help," Arthur's voice was harsh, his throat very dry, "quickly."

Merlin only nodded, turning around and heading outside of the Council Chamber. He knew what he was supposed to do.

-o-o-

Running through the hallways of the castle, Merlin hurried to find Gaius. Merlin had come back from the lower parts of the city only to find Arthur staring at the people inside the Council Chamber. It was not a pretty sight and Merlin couldn't begin to imagine how Arthur felt, having found his father in that state.

Reaching Gaius' chambers, Merlin rushed inside. The physician was busy mixing herbs for potions to help get the people of Camelot their strength back. Those attacked by the Light were very weak now and Merlin couldn't help but think about Thomas, Meredith's son. He had always been a strong man, but now he was even unable to speak because he had been so weak.

"The Light," Merlin said, a little out of breath, "it attacked the court."

Gaius immediately straightened his back, alert to what Merlin was telling him.

"At least a dozen people are unconscious," Merlin continued speaking, "the King is one of them."

Gaius didn't hesitate. Taking his bag with herbs and medicine, he hurried after Merlin to get back to the Council Chamber. What Merlin found was still the same image. Arthur sat beside his father, his hands supporting the King's head.

"Help them," Arthur asked, glancing around to all the people that lay around him.

Only now did Merlin see panic in the Prince's eyes. Arthur normally always stayed calm, would always try to keep his head clear. This time, however, he seemed troubled, broken even. Merlin couldn't blame him. All around him were noble men, servants and knights. These people were supposed to help the King and Prince, but now Arthur was almost all alone.

Gaius attended to the King first, but he soon admitted that there was not much he could do. Uther and the other people inside the Council Chamber would have to rest and wake up when they were strong enough. All that Gaius could do, was give them some medicine to help them get that strength back.

Merlin could see both Arthur and Gaius felt helpless and so did he. This Light was going around randomly, taking the force of people randomly, not caring whether they were noble or simply working men and women.

Absolutely everyone was in danger.

-o-o-

Arthur was walking through the halls of the castle, finding them strangely abandoned. No servants were present as most of them were at their homes with their own families. Arthur had told them to do this.

The sun was already starting to set, the day having past so quickly. The young Prince wished he had found some answers, but all that he done today, was making sure people that were hurt were taken care of. He wished he could sit with his father in his bedchamber, but there was simply no time.

There was so much that needed to be done. Right now, Arthur needed to see Gaius. The physician had promised to search for a cure that would help people get their strength back, but Arthur already felt as if he would not get the answer he needed. Not today at least.

In the distance, Arthur saw another man and he obviously wasn't a servant. He was the first living soul he had encountered since he left the Council Chamber, but he did not recognize this man.

And then he saw the dark brown hair, the dark eyes and the fair skin. A rough beard that didn't seem to be shaven in days and a determined gaze in his eyes. How could he not have recognized this man?

"Lancelot?"

"Arthur Pendragon," Lancelot greeted him once he stood before him.

Arthur could not wrap his head around this, he could not understand why Lancelot was here or how and when he had gotten here.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur demanded to know.

"I have heard about this certain Light," Lancelot explained. Together, they walked towards Gaius' chambers, their senses on high alert for anything that might be out of the ordinary.

"You have?" Arthur was still trying to understand. Anyone who heard about the Light and who was smart enough would turn around and leave Camelot as soon as possible. Lancelot had come running, however, and Arthur was once again reminded about the bravery of this man.

"News travels fast," Lancelot explained, a faint smile crossing his face, "I came as soon as I heard."

"Thank you," Arthur simply said, "I appreciate all the help I can get."

The Prince wasn't afraid to accept help, nor was he ashamed because of it. Uther would not approve, certainly not when knowing the past Lancelot and Camelot shared, but Arthur knew Lancelot could prove to be a great help. He was brave and strong and he wasn't afraid of magic.

"The last I heard was people were attacked in the Council Chamber," Lancelot continued talking, "is it true your father was present?"

"I'm afraid so," Arthur sighed. They turned into another corridor and descended some stairs. "He's unconscious and Gaius does not know when he will wake up again."

"That leaves you in charge," Lancelot spoke, nodding his head.

"I guess it does," the Prince sighed. He had been trained for this his entire life, he had been in these kind of situations before, but seemed different. Worse.

"Gaius is a smart man," Lancelot said, a faint smile on his face, "I am sure he will think of something."

-o-o-

Merlin had expected Arthur to come, but he had not expected Lancelot to be standing beside him. Only confusion filled his mind, but he had to admit that he felt a sense of relief washing over him. Lancelot was a good man and having him on their side was something that would prove to be very useful.

"Good to see you, Merlin," Lancelot greeted the servant boy.

"Lancelot," Merlin smiled, "I should have known, really, that you would not abandon us in these times."

They turned to look expectantly at Gaius whose gaze spoke more than his words could ever do.

"Nothing?" Arthur asked. Disappointment was clearly present in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Sire," Gaius said, sighing, "I do not know what this Light is, who is causing it and my medicine to strengthen the victims seems to be doing nothing."

"You spoke of a Thomas," Arthur said, frowning. He was looking at Merlin when speaking these words and Merlin remembered he had told the Prince of this young man. He had gained strength of the medicine Gaius had given him, but not the same could be said about the more recent victims.

"You told me he got better when he received a potion," Arthur said almost accusingly, as if he had caught Gaius and Merlin on a lie.

"That is true," it was Gaius who spoke, "but the Light has become stronger since then. When he attacked everyone in the Council Chamber, it was much stronger and it is still growing in power."

"There is nothing we can do?" Arthur asked. His gaze shifted between Gaius, Lancelot and Merlin.

"We will find out more," Merlin assured the Prince, "we will not give up."

But for some reason, Merlin wasn't sure if the Prince truly believed his words.

-o-o-

The night had been a short one and Merlin found himself walking to Arthur's bedchambers when he saw Lancelot not far away from him. Lancelot had seen him, too, and he quickly walked to stand before the young servant boy.

"Tell me you know something," Lancelot immediately asked. Desperation was clearly visible in his eyes and Merlin quickly understood something had happened during the night.

"Nothing new," Merlin answered, "what is it, Lancelot?"

"Fifteen people have been attacked," Lancelot sighed, "they were barely breathing when we found them. The Light is getting stronger and we can not stop it. Tell me you know something, Merlin," he repeated, "you're a sorcerer after all." He had spoken the words so silently that Merlin wasn't even sure he had heard them correctly.

"I'm sorry," he simply said, "I don't know what is happening. If we found out who is controlling the Light, which sorcerer or witch is responsible for this, perhaps then I could take some actions."

Lancelot only nodded, swallowing heavily. "You're doing everything you can," he spoke, "I know that. I simply wish there was something we could do. The people are frightened, Uther is still unconscious and Arthur feels helpless."

"But you are here," Merlin said, making his words sound strong. He needed Lancelot to believe in him. "We can use all the help we can get."

"Let's get to work then," the dark haired man smiled. Sitting around and doing nothing wouldn't get them anywhere and so they went on their way, going to find Arthur, and they told themselves that today would be different. Today, they would make all this madness stop.

They simply needed to believe in this.

**AN: Another chapter is done. It's longer than my usual chapters and I hope you guys don't mind. It didn't end with a cliffhanger, but a lot has happened. Lancelot has arrived! And it seems the Light is getting a lot stronger. Perhaps something horrible will happen in the next chapter...perhaps not (evil smile).**

**Let me know what you think of this chapter and I will post the next one as soon as possible!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 4**

Merlin found himself not knowing what to do. There was something happening out there and he couldn't stop it, no one could it appeared. No book held the answer, no person seemed to be aware of what was truly happening and Merlin hated it that he was one of them.

Normally, Gaius had an answer ready for them. Even the Dragon would know what to do and Merlin would act on it. He would find some magic that would be useful and he would face that Light. There was no such solution now, however, and Merlin cursed under his breath.

The doors swung open, Gaius entering. He immediately turned to look at his ward and a frown filled his face.

"Merlin?" he asked.

"What?" Merlin didn't know what was causing Gaius to be concerned.

"You look troubled," Gaius explained, his voice soft. He walked towards the young sorcerer and placed a hand on his shoulder before sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

"Who isn't troubled at this time," Merlin sighed. "This Light...I can not figure out what I am supposed to do."

"We'll find an answer," Gaius smiled, but it never reached his eyes. It made Merlin aware that Gaius felt as desperate as he. As a scientist, having no answers, no solutions must feel like a burden. Gaius was supposed to be the one that would solve this and yet, he was powerless as well.

"It must be magic," Merlin told him, "a sorcerer must be responsible for this." He sighed. If a sorcerer was truly causing this, then they would have to find that person soon before more people would get hurt.

"It is so very strange," Gaius spoke, "it doesn't seem controlled."

Merlin frowned. He didn't understand what Gaius was trying to tell him, explain to him.

"I don't think a sorcerer or witch is responsible for this," Gaius continued talking, "I do think that this is magic, however."

"You lost me," Merlin said, leaning forward on the table. He could feel Gaius was on to something, but he simply could not understand.

"I think this is magic in its purest form," Gaius explained, staring into the distance as he was trying to organize his thoughts. "Some sort of power source, a place where magic comes from, originates from. I believe that the Light is magic from the Old Religion."

Merlin swallowed heavily. If that were to be true, difficult questions rose in Merlin's mind. He didn't want it to be true as that would mean that...magic was evil.

"It's taking power from people," he whispered, "it is stealing their life force and it won't stop. It means Uther was right all along."

"Merlin-"

"No," Merlin didn't allow Gaius to speak, "that Light is pure magic you say and it is hurting people. It is evil and so what? All magic is evil?"

"I believe that it is simply trying to survive," Gaius said, refusing to believe in Merlin's words, "it needs the life force to live."

Before Merlin could answer him, the doors opened again and Arthur rushed in, not even having knocked or greeted them. He looked furious and sad, but Merlin could see more had happened. The Prince was feeling powerless and the young sorcerer immediately realized what had happened.

"More people have been attacked," Arthur explained, "they need your help."

-o-o-

Gaius and Merlin found themselves running behind the Prince. He had not said anything else and the silence was starting to grow heavy. Merlin was aching for answers, for explanations, but he knew that he would not get them soon.

"Where are they?" Gaius asked, referring to the people hurt.

"Not far," Arthur snapped.

Merlin knew that this situation was weighing heavily on the Prince. Arthur always thought himself to be the person that would keep his people safe and yet, he was useless now. He couldn't protect his people from this Light and more were getting hurt every day.

They turned into another hallway and Arthur led them inside a small room. Two servant girls lay on their backs in the corner of the chamber. Their eyes were closed and their hands were tangled together.

Gaius quickly kneeled down before them and Merlin stretched his back to see what the physician was doing. There was no point, however, as Gaius already stood up, a sadness filling his eyes.

"It's too late," he said softly.

"No," Arthur said, not believing his words, "they were alive, I left them alive!"

"They are dead," Gaius said, the words cutting through everyone in the room.

Arthur pressed his lips together as he looked at the young girls and Merlin couldn't help but follow his gaze. They couldn't be much older than twenty and by the looks of it, they were sisters. They shared long blonde curls and their skin was a beautiful olive color.

"They were here for linen sheets," Arthur sighed, "the Light must have surprised them."

No one said a word.

"I should find the family," Arthur sighed. Not waiting on Gaius or Merlin to say something, he turned around and left the chamber.

"You still think that Light isn't evil?" Merlin asked. He turned away from the girls as he pressed his lips together. He refused to cry as he simply didn't know what to do. He couldn't fight the Light, he couldn't save people and all was getting lost.

Gaius didn't answer him.

"I got to find my answers," Merlin said, turning around and leaving the room as well.

"Where?" Gaius called after him.

"I'll be back soon," Merlin simply answered him. He knew that what he was doing was his last desperate move, but what other choice did he have? It needed to be done and Merlin was willing to pay any price.

-o-o-

He had walked and walked and walked until he found that Camelot was far behind him. There was not a soul around and Merlin knew that the time was right.

Gazing up into the sky, he took in a deep breath. Focusing on the magic inside him, he let it guide his thoughts, his words and before he realized it, he was speaking in the Ancient Language.

"ESRA TU VALE ME," Merlin swallowed heavily, but continued speaking, "KILLY DORSA FRAY. PARE DUN BOSTISTA SUCHE VIE. AMIE LO JULIK HIY. BORBA!"

As soon as his words had been spoken, Merlin could hear the familiar sound of wings. It grew louder with every second and out of nothing, the Dragon appeared and landed before him in the open spot in the forest.

Merlin couldn't help but take a step back as he was impressed by the seize of the Dragon, but he didn't fear him.

"Merlin," the Dragon spoke slowly and his warm breath surrounded Merlin like a hot blanket.

"You know about the Light," Merlin spoke loud, making sure that the Dragon was aware that Merlin was not fearing him, "you know what it is."

"I do," the Dragon simply stated.

"Is it true?" Merlin took a step closer to the Dragon, looking him straight in the eyes, "is pure magic?"

"It is," Dragon told Merlin.

The young sorcerer slowly nodded. So Gaius was right. "It is taking lives," he said, "it must be stopped."

"And how are you supposed to do that?" The Dragon seemed surprised by Merlin's statement. He didn't seem to believe the young sorcerer was able to stop the Light.

"With your help," Merlin simply said, "I know that you have the knowledge, that you know how to stop it, how to save innocent lives."

"And you want me to give you that knowledge I suppose." The Dragon's eyes grew wide as he waited on Merlin to answer him.

"I can make you give it to me," Merlin threatened, "I can force you."

The Dragon said nothing, but his eyes were suddenly nothing more than two thin lines. It seemed he was trying to determine if Merlin was serious about his words.

"No need to," the Dragon eventually said, "the Light will keep getting stronger, it will keep taking lives until everyone around it is dead. It will move on to the next source of great power and that happens to be me."

"So you want it gone as well?" Merlin asked. He frowned as he tried to understand what the Dragon was telling him.

"It can not be killed," he said, "it is not a living thing. It can, however, be destroyed."

"How?" Merlin was getting impatient as he wanted his answers.

"Close your eyes," the Dragon said and Merlin immediately knew what that meant. The Dragon was about to plant information inside his mind and so Merlin listened. He closed his eyes and felt a great wind surround him. His mind was overcome by the sudden presence of the Dragon, but it was not unpleasant.

As soon as it had come, as soon was it gone again and Merlin opened his eyes. Looking at the Dragon, he took in a deep breath. Words of the Ancient Language filled his mind, but they were still jumbled and Merlin couldn't wait for them to make sense.

"How do I destroy it?" Merlin demanded to know, his voice loud.

The Dragon growled as he laughed and he flew upwards, leaving Merlin alone between the trees.

"How?" Merlin yelled.

The Dragon was gone, however, and Merlin felt himself bite down on his lower lip. He knew that the knowledge of destroying the Light was inside his mind, he would only have to be patient for it to make sense.

**AN: Another chapter is done... I know that it went rather slowly and not much has happened, but that will soon change!**

**So Merlin has the answer to destroying the Light, but it seems it will still take him some time to understand. Arthur is growing very desperate so will Merlin be able to help him in time?**

**For those that are worried, there will be some Lancelot in the next chapter! **

**Let me know what you think of this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**Not one review for chapter 4? I am really disappointed. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to post this chapter... Come on, guys, let me know what your thoughts are on this story!**

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 5**

Arthur had not left his father's side for nearly two hours now. He wanted to stay longer, but he had duties to fulfill. Uther would have known how to deal with this Light, how to kill this...magic. What else could it be other than that?

A soft knock could be heard on the door and Arthur stood up from his seat. He turned to see who entered and a sense of relief filled him when he saw it was Lancelot. He was wearing the outfit of a knight, an outfit Arthur had given him.

"I see it fits you," the young Prince said. There was little joy to be heard in his voice.

"Thank you for this gift," Lancelot said. He stepped closer to Arthur, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to use it should he need to. "How is your father?"

"Not well," Arthur sighed, turning to look at Uther's pale face.

"I'm sure Gaius is trying everything to make him well again," Lancelot said.

"Why are you here?" Arthur asked, knowing there must be a reason.

"You are needed in the Council Chamber," Lancelot explained, "every knight is awaiting your presence."

"What should I tell them?" Arthur sighed. "We can not fight the Light, we can not kill it."

"We will find the solution," Lancelot spoke softly.

Arthur nodded, but he found it hard to believe those words. Could they truly win this battle?

-o-o-

The walk back to the castle was a long one. Merlin had been lost in thought, he hadn't even paid any attention to his surroundings when suddenly, he heard his name being called out.

"Merlin!"

He turned around to watch Gwen walk up to him. A worried glance filled her eyes and Merlin couldn't blame her. Everyone should be worried these days.

"Hello, Gwen," Merlin greeted her. He would have smiled, but there really was nothing to smile about.

"You should have told me," Gwen said, having her hands rest on her hips, "that Lancelot is here."

"Oh," Merlin could only say. He hadn't even considered telling Gwen that Lancelot had showed up only hours ago. So many things were on his mind and he had completely forgotten about Gwen. He actually felt guilty about that.

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

"Don't be," Gwen smiled faintly, "I know you have a lot to worry about."

Together, they started walking towards the castle. It was still very strange to find the streets of Camelot nearly abandoned, to find the windows of the houses closed. Not that staying inside your house was much use, the Light could enter it and attack you anyway.

"Do you have any new information?" Gwen asked as they crossed a small square.

"Not really," Merlin told her. He thought back to his conversation with the Dragon, but he couldn't tell her about that. If only the words in the ancient language would start to make sense soon... But no, Merlin still couldn't figure out what they meant.

"I heard about the girls," Gwen sighed, "I saw them often in the castle. They were very nice."

"It was awful," Merlin admitted, "there was nothing we could do for them."

"I just wish there was something..." Gwen said, but she pressed her lips together, not finishing her sentence. Her eyes shone brilliantly with tears.

"I wish there was something we could do, too," Merlin said. He threw his arm around Gwen's shoulder and pulled her closer towards him. "And we will find our answers," he said, "we always do."

Gwen only nodded.

The silence suddenly filled itself with a soft humming and both Gwen and Merlin turned around to see the Light only a few feet away from them. It had grown in seize, but it still looked like it had before. The Light, looking like a cloud with brilliant diamonds inside of it, came at them with a speed it had not had before, however.

Merlin didn't hesitate. He took Gwen's hand in his and pulled her forward, running away from the Light. Gwen shrieked as she felt Merlin pull her forward, but she ran and she didn't look back. The young sorcerer did look back, though, and he could see the Light was still following them, the humming growing steadily into a high pitched ringing.

If Merlin hadn't known any better, he would have thought the Light was getting angry, that it was annoyed by Merlin and Gwen running away from it.

"We have to split up!" Merlin yelled and as soon as he let go of Gwen's hand, she ran the opposite direction. She headed south and Merlin headed north where the castle was.

Splitting up had been the only idea to have filled Merlin's mind. Should the Light follow Gwen, then Merlin could sneak up to it and fight it with magic without Gwen seeing him. Should it follow him, however, then at least Gwen was safe and Merlin could try and fight the Light with magic on his own. And so it appeared to be. The Light turned as soon as Merlin turned and it gained more speed. Merlin felt his legs ache.

He couldn't keep sprinting like this any longer. He quickly turned, facing the Light head on.

"Mealy culpe tristo pa!" The force of his magic was strong, Merlin could feel it leave his body and he knew his eyes had turned golden. All that his magic seemed to do, however, was slow down the Light. Its ringing grew louder and Merlin's ears ached because of the noise. Cringing away, covering his ears with the palms of his hands, he closed his eyes.

"Donda gre via!" He tried everything and even though the Light seemed to be slowing down, unable to reach Merlin, the young servant knew that he couldn't keep this up. The Light was too strong.

Stumbling back, he felt the magic slip away from him and without hesitating, Merlin ran again. As his magic had lost its purpose, the Light had started to pursue him again and Merlin knew something more was going on.

Why would the Light come after him like this? There must be a dozen potential victims around, all hidden away in their little houses. In stead, the Light appeared stubborn, wanting only Merlin.

Reaching a back door that led into the castle, Merlin entered, slamming the door shut behind him. The ringing had grown softer again and Merlin let his hands drop next to his body. He leaned against the closed door, completely out of breath, but he could sense the Light was still approaching, wanting only one victim.

The words of the Dragon echoed through Merlin's mind. '_It will move on to the next source of great power and that happens to be me._' The Dragon had been wrong. The Light was no longer interested in the lives of simple servants. It could sense magic, strong magic. It could sense Merlin and it wanted his power, his life force. Only when Merlin would be dead, the Light would move on to the Dragon.

Pushing himself away from the door, he ran through the halls until he reached Gaius' chambers. He threw open the doors, receiving a terrified glance from Gaius who could see how exhausted Merlin was.

"What happened?" the old physician wanted to know. He placed down some herbs he was holding in his hand and immediately came to stand before his ward.

"The Light," Merlin spoke, still out of breath, "it's after me."

"It tried to consume you?" Gaius wanted to all the details.

"Yes," Merlin explained, "and it will try again."

One eyebrow of Gaius shot up as it always did when more questions came to his mind.

"It went to see the Dragon," Merlin quickly told the physician, "he gave me the magic I need to destroy the Light. He also told me that once everyone is dead in Camelot, the Light will move on to take the Dragon's life force. He was wrong."

"I don't understand," Gaius said.

"The Light senses power," Merlin walked over to the small table in the middle of the chamber and he sat down, feeling his legs tremble underneath him, "it senses my power, my magic and it wants it. The Light doesn't care about anyone else anymore, it doesn't care for simply surviving. It cares only for magic now."

"But what will you do then?" Gaius immediately understood the severity of this situation. "It could be here any moment now."

"Yes," Merlin nodded, "and I have to find a way to stop it."

Gaius didn't say anything, he simply looked Merlin in the eyes.

"This gives us an advantage, though," the young sorcerer said before taking in a deep breath, "we now know where the Light will be so we can trap it or something."

"I thought the Dragon gave you the magic you need destroy it?" Gaius sat down as well now.

"He did," Merlin swallowed heavily, "but it doesn't make much sense yet."

"When will you understand then? Gaius wanted to now.

"Soon," Merlin answered, "very soon."

Because slowly, the words in his mind started to make sense. This situation started to make sense. A plan was starting to form in his mind and Merlin simply knew that this would work. It had to or Merlin would be the next victim.

**AN: Another chapter is done. I know I promised some Lancelot and I know it was only a short moment. Perhaps I can make it up somehow in the next chapter. So Merlin is started to understand the magic the Dragon gave him and perhaps the next chapter will already show us a face-off between Merlin and the Light...who knows?**

**You'll have to wait and see what happens...**

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Any and all comment is welcome. Your reviews are what keep me going and they make me want to post the next chapter sooner... If I don't get any feedback, then I don't know if I am going to post the next chapter...'sigh'**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**Thank you for the reviews. I truly thought no one cared about this story... But they encouraged me to post this chapter a little sooner... But enough talking...read and discover what happens!**

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 6**

Merlin knew where he needed to go, he knew he had to reach Arthur quickly as time was running out. It seemed he had lost the Light for a few seconds now, but he could feel its presence. He could feel it by the shiver running down his spine.

But for the moment, there was only silence and so Merlin decided to start running anyway. Perhaps he could try and gain some distance from the Light. There was really nothing else that he could do for the moment. Turning into another corridor, he crossed a larger chamber only to run into yet another hallway. Crossing that one, he could suddenly hear it.

The noise he dreaded so much.

He nearly reached the end of the hallway when he could see the all too familiar cloud of shining brilliant diamonds. Its humming grew louder as if it could sense Merlin was near. The young sorcerer stopped dead in his tracks, taking in a deep breath. He turned on his heels and kept on running the other way now.

Arthur's chamber had only been a few hallways away, but the Light had cut of his access and so Merlin needed to come up with a new path. It would take him about five minutes longer to reach the Prince, but if he even wanted to reach Arthur, he would have to run quicker.

The Light was again gaining speed, seemingly thrilled that its new power supply was so near. Its humming grew louder and Merlin's ears started aching again. He simply couldn't get away from it, no matter how hard he ran. He refused to give up, however, as he could feel how he was starting to understand the magic in his head, the magic the Dragon had given him.

He turned into another corridor. At the other end of the hall, Merlin could see a familiar figure coming his way, though he could not yet make out who it was. He would have called out to him, he would have warned him, but he did not have the breath for it.

In stead, the man stopped walking once he saw Merlin rushing his way, the Light only seconds behind him. The man drew out his sword, but Merlin knew there was no point in doing so. Reaching the man, Merlin saw it was Lancelot.

"Run!" Merlin yelled when he was only a few meters away from him.

Lancelot seemed to hesitate for a moment, deciding whether or not he wanted to fight. Merlin sprinted past him and Lancelot turned as well now, running side by side with Merlin.

"We must go quicker," Lancelot yelled. He still held onto the hilt of his sword firmly.

Merlin only glanced back, seeing the Light gaining distance. It was getting closer and all that Merlin could think of was that he was putting Lancelot in danger. The Light was after him alone, after all.

"Find Arthur!" Merlin yelled. He didn't wait for Lancelot's response. He simply turned to the left and kept on running. He quickly looked back, seeing a stunned Lancelot watching him. The Light ignored the young dark haired man, it simply floating straight passed Lancelot who appeared too shocked to even move.

"Find Arthur!" Merlin yelled again. He looked before him, feeling the muscles of his legs ache. He had been sprinting as quickly as he could and Merlin felt he was slowing down, but it somehow didn't matter.

It was a strange thought and Merlin didn't even know where it had come from. Why wouldn't it matter if the Light got to him? Merlin suddenly stopped running, he just _stopped_ and turned around. The Light, strangely, came to a halt as well, only a few feet away from where Merlin was standing.

If the young sorcerer hadn't known any better, he would have thought the Light was looking at him, truly looking at him, almost through him. Merlin looked back, seeing only a reflection of himself in the cloudy substance.

The humming of the Light grew softer now, as if it were retreating and Merlin couldn't help but think that it knew... The Light knew Merlin had the knowledge to destroy it.

Merlin took a step closer to the Light and he looked a little closer as well. It was the most peculiar thing he had ever witnessed before and he could almost call it beautiful. Merlin knew how it was to be inside of it, he had witnessed its beauty, but he could not longer call it only that. _Beauty._ This Light had taken the lives of at least two girls. This Light was anything but beautiful.

He took another step closer.

"What are you doing?"

Merlin had not heard anyone approaching. He didn't need to look behind him to know who it was, however. He could just picture how Arthur looked at him right now. Stunned, not understanding what his servant was doing.

Merlin did know, however, and that was what mattered. Only he had the knowledge to destroy this Light, only he could assure the Prince that no citizen of Camelot would ever be harmed by this kind of magic again.

"I understand it now," Merlin almost whispered. He still didn't look back.

"Get away from it, Merlin," Arthur warned him. The Prince didn't move closer, though.

"I can destroy it," the young sorcerer said. Every word inside his head, every word in the ancient language finally made sense, but it wouldn't be easy to actually do it. Could he even destroy the Light? Did he have enough strength? Enough _courage_?

That was what he would need most: courage. Even he didn't destroy the Light, however, it would only gain strength and more people would get hurt eventually, more people would die. Perhaps even Arthur, or Gaius or Gwen. He needed to destroy this Light.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur demanded to know.

Merlin looked back now, seeing the exhausted gaze in Arthur's eyes. His troubles would soon end, Merlin thought, he would soon be rid of this magic. "I can destroy it," he repeated and he glanced back towards the Light.

Arthur's gaze brightened, but not with joy. Horror filled his eyes, disgust. He knew what Merlin was talking about.

"You have to let me go," Merlin sighed as he gazed into Arthur's eyes. He needed to do this, he needed to _chose_ this. The Light wanted him, it wanted his magic and Merlin would give it just that.

For some reason, Arthur refused to do it, however.. He simply wouldn't _let go _and Merlin couldn't blame him. What he was asking of him was big, it was impossible and yet, it needed to be done. Merlin felt himself take a step closer towards the Prince, his gaze sad as he knew exactly what would happen after all this.

"Please, Arthur," he heard himself nearly beg, "let me go."

"No," Arthur was being stubborn and Merlin couldn't help but wish that for once, he wasn't. This was hard enough as it were and Arthur refusing to listen only made it harder, worse.

"Close your eyes," Merlin almost whispered. The silence that surrounded them was deafening. No screams of people being attacked by something magical, no ringing of the Light, no whispers or footsteps. Was the castle truly abandoned? Merlin couldn't think about that, though, he needed to stay focused, he needed Arthur to listen to him.

"It will kill you, Merlin," Arthur protested. His arm lashed forward and grabbed Merlin's wrist, making him unable to move away from him. "It will be pointless," he continued saying, his voice desperate, "it's stupid!"

"Arthur," Merlin looked the Prince right in the eyes, "let me go."

Arthur shook his head violently. He refused to do anything he was being told by Merlin. It wasn't the first time he was being headstrong, but this was different and Merlin could understand it. He was asking Arthur to let him die after all.

"I need to do this," Merlin explained, a sad smile playing around the corners of his lips, "You must trust me."

"If you're trying to be the hero-"

"No," Merlin quickly countered, hearing the anger inside the Prince's voice now, "I won't be the hero, Arthur." He felt how his mouth grew dry. Soon, everything would be over, though, and Merlin would never have a dry mouth again. "You'll be King soon," he said after swallowing heavily, "and you will be the greatest King this land will have ever known. This is your destiny and you will fulfill it."

Merlin could see the questions behind Arthur's eyes, the worries and concerns and Merlin wished he could answer them, that he could help him, but there was no time. It needed to happen now.

"Merlin," Arthur sighed. Slowly, he let go of his servant's wrist, understanding that Merlin wasn't about to change his mind about this.

"You've been a good friend, Arthur" the young servant smiled as he took a step away from the Prince. "I should have trusted you sooner."

A frown filled Arthur's face as he heard Merlin's words, but again, there was no time for a proper explanation.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur demanded to know, hoping for Merlin to tell him something, anything that wasn't a riddle.

"Forgive me, Arthur," Merlin sighed, taking another step back, "please, forgive me."

"Merlin," Arthur said, seeing how his servant was slowly backing away from him. "Merlin, come back. Just come back! We will find a way to destroy this Light!"

"But I already found it, Arthur," Merlin smiled.

Merlin wanted so much to walk towards the Prince, but he didn't. Every muscle inside him screamed to stop this madness, to walk away from the Light, but Merlin told himself to be strong. This needed to be done. Lives, so many lives depended on it. Taking in a deep breath, he looked at Arthur one more time.

The Prince seemed to be frozen in place. His eyes were filled with shock, with disbelief and horror as he realized that Merlin was actually doing this. Yet, he did nothing. There was nothing he could do after all. It seemed he wanted to say something, but Merlin didn't allow him. Time was running out and so he looked forward again, seeing the brilliant Light shine, illuminating every corner of the hall.

"Stary vectra Prentutio mie," Merlin paused, swallowing heavily as he knew the end was near, "dra wusni mantri bore vy!"

His words were so loud, no doubt Arthur hadn't heard it. Merlin wanted to see his reaction, he wanted to see how Arthur felt, yet he couldn't. Running towards the Light now, sprinting, he jumped high. Everything vanished as he fell inside the Light. Only a million stars could be seen and Merlin tried, he tried so hard to see its beauty, but there was only pain.

The Light was taking all he had, all his life force, all his power and Merlin could feel how everything was going numb. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move or speak or yell. There was nothing and when Merlin felt how the Light was dying with him, a soft ringing could be heard once more.

And then silence.

Only silence as death took him.

**AN: Cliffie! I know, I am pure evil. Of course, many questions rise now. How will Arthur react now that he knows Merlin is a sorcerer? Is the Light truly destroyed? Has Merlin's magic killed it? Is Merlin truly gone? Many, many questions and I will try and answer them as soon as possible!**

**In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**Thank you, those that left me a kind review. I know I left the last chapter in an evil cliffhanger, but because of that, I posted this chapter a little sooner than normal. I hope this doesn't disappoint...**

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 7**

Arthur could hear every word Merlin said like he was standing right next to him. They were no words of the common language and Arthur realized that what he was witnessing, was a form of the purest magic. _Merlin_ was using magic. That clumsy and idiotic servant of him was a sorcerer.

Nothing made sense anymore and Arthur wanted to yell, to scream but no words escaped his lips. He could only stare at Merlin, at how he jumped inside the Light, no hesitation in his moves. He had done it, he had actually done it as he jumped towards his death.

Arthur slowly shook his head as he tried to understand. Why would a sorcerer kill himself to save everyone else? Why would Merlin do such a thing?

Arthur covered his eyes with his arms as the Light suddenly expanded into twice its seize. The silence was replaced by a sudden loud humming and then it was gone. Darkness filled the hall for a second, every light having been dimmed. And then the candles returned to their normal state. A soft orange light filled the hall again and Arthur's gaze fell upon the body of his servant.

He lay motionless, his back turned towards the Prince and Arthur swallowed heavily as he feared what he might discover, what he _would_ discover. His only wish was for Merlin to move, to couch or to utter silent words. Why wasn't he doing anything, why wasn't he moving?

Arthur took a step forward as he cursed his servant. Not only was he clumsy, he was idiotic, stupid, crazy, foolish and insane. He was a sorcerer, one with great power apparently, but he was not evil. Arthur repeated it again and again. Merlin was not evil, he was not evil. He couldn't be evil! Reaching him, Arthur kneeled down and placed his hand softly on his servant's shoulder.

For a moment, he thought Merlin would turn around and open his eyes. He would grin childish and he would tell that Arthur that he was alright. Nothing happened, however, and Merlin did not move. Slowly, Arthur searched for a pulse in Merlin's neck, but nothing could be felt.

"Merlin?" Arthur was surprised to find his own voice...fragile. Swallowing heavily, he tried to understand what had just happened. What was still happening. Merlin had given his life to save everyone else, he was a sorcerer and yet, he was a good friend.

Merlin was his friend. Arthur knew that he was right, he knew that Merlin could never be evil.

"Wake up, Merlin," Arthur whispered, shaking his servant's shoulder. Nothing happened and Arthur refused to believe that this was it. How could Merlin be dead? He had survived so many threats, he had lived through so many events. Tears invaded his eyes, but he refused to let them roll down his cheeks.

"Come on, Merlin," he said, his voice hard now, "wake up. Wake up!"

"Arthur?"

Arthur pressed his lips together as he immediately recognized that voice. What was he supposed to do? Gaius was probably looking for Merlin, but what he would find would not be comforting. Arthur closed his eyes, trying to figure out what he should do, but all that he could think of were the tears that now ran freely down his face.

"Arthur?" Gaius was closer, nearly standing behind the Prince and Arthur swallowed heavily.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, opening his eyes again and taking in a deep breath, "I'm so sorry, Gaius."

Gaius came to stand next to the Prince, immediately seeing the lifeless body of his ward. Kneeling down, every color vanished from the old man's face. He didn't even breathe and Arthur couldn't blame him.

"No," the old physician whispered, shaking his head. He took Merlin's hand into his own and squeezed it gently. His free hand searched for a pulse on his wrist, but Arthur knew that he would find nothing. "No," Gaius said again, his hand moving towards Merlin's neck.

"He's gone," Arthur said, taking hold Gaius' moving hand. He wished he could have said the words softer, but in stead, his voice had been harsh. "I'm sorry, Gaius," he repeated, his voice gentle, "he's dead."

"I begged him not to," Gaius sighed, his breathing quick and shallow and his eyes red with tears, "I begged him."

"You knew he was a sorcerer?" Arthur knew that now was hardly the time for this, but he needed answers, he needed to understand this, to understand Merlin. He had a nagging feeling that during all the years that he had known his servant, Merlin had hid who he truly was.

"He can't be dead," Gaius whispered, ignoring Arthur's question. With both hands, he took Merlin's right hand, caressing it as he didn't know what else he could do.

"Gaius," Arthur lay a hand on the physician's shoulder, "he's gone. He stepped into the Light, he was dead the moment he was consumed by it."

"He's Merlin," Gaius said, "he's strong, he is much stronger than you ever knew!"

"Because he's a sorcerer?" Arthur looked Gaius' in the eyes now, seeing fear in the old man's eyes and he couldn't understand why he would feel that. Arthur wasn't mad with Merlin, at least not for having magic.

"He saved us," Arthur reassured Gaius, "I only wish he'd told me, that he'd trusted me."

"He's gone," Gaius said, his gaze back on his ward.

"Yes," Arthur confirmed, "yes, he is. "

More footsteps filled the hall and Arthur glanced back, seeing Lancelot walk towards them. He frowned as he tried to understand what had happened and Arthur sighed, knowing he would have to tell Lancelot what had happened. Merlin had been a friend to Lancelot as well, he had been since the beginning.

"Arthur?" Lancelot asked. He tried to see past Gaius, but he couldn't understand what was happening.

The young Prince walked towards the young knight, making him come to a halt a few feet away from where Merlin lay. He took in a deep breath as he looked into Lancelot eyes. "The Light is gone," he explained. He could hear a slight tremble in his voice. "Merlin...he...stopped it. He saved us."

"What?" Lancelot strode past Arthur now. When seeing the lifeless body of Merlin, he dropped down to his knees next to Gaius. His eyes immediately filled with horror and pain as he realized he had lost a dear friend.

"Lancelot?" Arthur carefully asked. He watched how Lancelot stood up again, pressing his lips together as he tried to push back all the emotions that tried to take a hold of him.

"I'm afraid I have bad news," Lancelot spoke slowly then, pushing away tears that tried to invade his eyes. "Your father, Arthur, he..." He swallowed heavily, "he has not made it."

"That's impossible," Arthur blurted out. He watched how Gaius turned around to look at Lancelot as well. His cheeks were wet, the skin around his eyes red. He didn't seem able to believe a word Lancelot told them. Neither could Arthur.

"My father was getting better," Arthur refused to believe any of this, "he was regaining some color in his cheeks. He was getting better!"

"I am very sorry," Lancelot whispered softly, "for everything that has happened." He glanced back towards Merlin, his lower lip trembling softly.

"No," Arthur sighed. He let himself slide down against the wall. He could feel every muscle in his body go limp as all this was becoming too much. First Merlin and now his father? What was he supposed to do now? How could he even continue this day while all was lost?

"Arthur," Lancelot spoke, "the people need you."

"I can't," the Prince sighed, "I just can't."

"You can," it was Gaius who spoke. He rose to his feet, but he didn't turn away from his ward. "Merlin gave his life to save everyone, he sacrificed everything. Don't you dare let him down."

Arthur looked at Gaius who was now looking into his eyes. The old physician was right. It was his duty to continue, to become whoever his people needed him to become. Everyone was afraid at the moment and Arthur needed to reassure them that the Light was gone. That Merlin had destroyed it, with magic.

But how could Merlin not have told him? How could he have pretended to be a silly servant while he had this great power at his disposal?

"Arthur?"

The Prince's attention was brought back by Lancelot's voice. The young man seemed worried and tired...very tired. He looked exactly the way Arthur felt. The Prince didn't know what to do, however. Should he announce the death of his father first? Should he reassure his people with kind words? What was he supposed to do? Not even Merlin was around anymore to make snappy remarks and silly comments.

Arthur just didn't know what to do.

**AN; So Arthur has not only lost his friend Merlin, he lost his father as well due to the effects of the Light. (I know, I am evil, but I just love drama) Will he ever be able to handle this situation? Will he be able to trust magic again and become the King he is supposed to be become?**

**What will happen next? Stay with this story and you'll soon find out!**

**Read & Review, please =)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**Those that left me a kind review: Thanks! Another chapter is here and I hope it won't disappoint. Here is goes...**

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 8**

Arthur couldn't stand the silence around him, and yet, he welcomed it. The last two days had been nothing but duties. Exhaustion was taking its toll on the young Prince who would soon be King. Uther had been gone for two days now, as had Merlin.

It was strange not to have someone around him to make snappy comments, to be silly, idiotic and clumsy. Arthur had spent more days without Merlin before, but this time was different. This was definite and irreversible. There wasn't an end to this time and Merlin wasn't coming back, Uther wasn't coming back.

Arthur closed his eyes. The chamber where the dead lay flashed before his eyes. Uther and Merlin weren't the only ones to have died that day. Everyone who had been attacked in that Council chamber had passed away. They all lay on a small bed, peacefully, with their eyes closed and their hands folded. Their burial was tomorrow and Arthur needed to make sure everything went as planned. A lot of people would be present.

Sighing, he opened his eyes again. He squinted as the sun peered through the clouds, casting everything in an orange glow. It was getting late, near sunset, but Arthur wasn't planning on ending his day just yet. He needed to make arrangements for tomorrow, he needed to speak to people, assure them everything was truly safe again.

He could easily give these kind of tasks to servants or to other knights, but Arthur refused to do so. He would be crowned King next week and he wanted to be make sure that everything was handled correctly first. Or perhaps he was simply trying to keep himself busy.

He didn't want too much time on his hands. All that he would think about, was Merlin and his father. He would think of magic and how he could not understand it. It was magic that had killed his father, but it was magic that had saved them all. How was he supposed to even begin to comprehend all this?

"Arthur?"

Arthur could hear someone call out to him, but it sounded very distant.

"Arthur?"

It was closer this time and the young Prince turned his head, seeing Gwen coming to stand next to him. She was wearing in a dark blue dress, her curls laying loosely around her shoulders. She appeared tired, but Arthur could only see her strength. She had been keeping herself strong for the past few days and Arthur admired her for this.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. She looked Arthur in his eyes and produced a faint smile. It didn't reach her eyes and Arthur suppressed the urge to touch her cheek. In stead, he turned to look before him again, to witness the powerful view of Camelot. They stood on the top of the castle, somewhere where no one could see or hear them.

"I should be asking you that question," Arthur said.

"You lost your father," Gwen said. She placed her hand gently on Arthur shoulder, but he didn't look at her when feeling her gentle touch.

"And we both lost Merlin." Arthur swallowed heavily. He hadn't spoken about Merlin since that day, since he had jumped into the light. He glanced sideways to see how Gwen would react to hearing his name, but she simply kept on gazing into Arthur's eyes.

"He saved us," she said, her voice soft and hesitant, "all of us."

"With magic," Arthur sighed. He looked ahead again.

"Yes," was all Gwen said.

"I don't understand," the young Prince exhaled. He turned to look fully at Gwen now. Placing his hand on top of hers, he felt her warmth and he welcomed it. "I can't understand," he continued saying, "If have been taught that magic is evil, that it seeks to destroy."

"Merlin wasn't evil," Gwen quickly said, understanding where Arthur was going with this.

"How can we know?" Arthur asked. He waited to see what Gwen had to say to this. She simply sighed, however, and retracted her hand. She was now the one to gaze ahead into the distance, seemingly trying to find the right answer.

"He was our friend," she said after a moment of silence, "how many times hasn't he helped us? How many times hasn't he looked after us?"

Arthur slowly nodded. Gwen was right. If Merlin had been evil, if all that he had wanted was destruction, then why did he sacrifice himself? There had been many times that he could have killed Arthur, but never had he done anything to harm the Prince.

"He wasn't evil," Arthur agreed.

Gwen turned towards him and placed her hands around his neck. Arthur embraced her, returning the hug only briefly before letting her go again. He would have stood there for hours with her, but there simply wasn't enough time.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted.

"You'll be King," Gwen smiled faintly, "very soon. You can make a difference, you can make some changes and do what is right."

Arthur didn't say anything. Gwen was right, but how was he supposed to do all those things? His father had built years to make Camelot into a strong country. Could he truly make changes and preserve Camelot's strength at the same time?

Behind them, more footsteps could be heard. Both Gwen and Arthur turned around, seeing Lancelot and Leon walk towards them. They, as did everyone, appeared tired. What Arthur didn't understand, however, was why there was a...worried and scared gaze in their eyes.

"Sire," Leon spoke, "you must hurry."

"What is happening?" Arthur asked. He couldn't even begin to guess what would be so urgent that both Leon and Lancelot was coming up here to look for the Prince.

"It's the Dragon," Lancelot explained.

-o-o-

Gwen had insisted to come alone even though Arthur had tried to pursued here otherwise. But here she was, walking alongside him and Lancelot, heading to a situation that might hold danger. Leon had been called away, having other duties that he needed to attend to.

But Arthur was glad he wasn't alone. Lancelot was walking next to him, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword. They were walking through a dense patch of forest and Arthur was wondering where he would end up. It appeared as if they already have been walking for hours.

The sun had set already, the full moon giving just enough light for them to see where they could set their feet. Just as Arthur wanted to ask where exactly the Dragon wanted to meet them, he stepped into an open patch of green grass. Arthur looked up to see the stars and the moon and in the corner of his eye, he spotted the castle of Camelot. It appeared so small.

A gush of wind passed them, but it wasn't cold. Arthur spotted the air for any sign of the Dragon, when he finally spotted the magnificent beast. It was getting closer quickly and before Arthur could even say something to Lancelot and Gwen, the Dragon landed before them.

Arthur had known about the Dragon for his entire life, he had known it had been locked underneath the castle, but he had never seen it from this close. It truly was a beautiful creature.

"Arthur Pendragon," the Dragon breathed out.

Arthur could feel its warm breath on his face. He refused to step back, however, not wanting to appear small and terrified.

"What is it you want?" Arthur demanded to know.

"I see you are unharmed," the Dragon spoke.

If Arthur hadn't known any better, he would have thought the Dragon was smiling. Or was he truly smiling? Was his only purpose to laugh at them? A rush of anger took a hold of the young Prince.

"Merlin has fulfilled his task well," the Dragon said before Arthur could speak.

"Task?" the young Prince asked, not understanding, "What are you talking about?"

A low growl escaped the Dragon's lips...a laugh. "There is much you do not know," the Dragon said, "much you will never come to understand."

"Like what?" Arthur demanded answers, but he knew his chances of actually getting some were very slim.

"Magic." the Dragon bowed his head down until he was almost at eye-level with the Prince.

Again, Arthur refused to back away. He tried to think of something to say, anything, but his mind came up empty.

"Do not make the same mistake your father made," the Dragon said then, his voice softer and yet, stronger.

"My father was a good King," Arthur said, surprised to hear the hardness in his voice.

"Perhaps," the Dragon rose a little again, "but he feared what he did not know, what he could not understand."

"Like magic." Arthur nodded, understanding now what the Dragon was talking about.

"You know magic like no other," the Dragon spoke slowly, as if he was trying to tell the young Prince something. Arthur didn't understand, though.

"What are you talking about?"

The Dragon closed his eyes then, breathing out a long and hot breath. Arthur needed to step back now, not being able to stand the heat. Even though he was covering his eyes with his arms, Arthur could see a sudden bright light appear. For a moment, he thought about the Light again and he feared the Dragon might be bringing it back.

"What are you doing?" he called out.

"You need magic," the Dragon spoke.

Arthur could feel how the heat was withdrawing and how the light was dimming again. He opened his eyes and was shocked to find a lifeless Merlin laying before the Dragon. Arthur had always thought that dead people never appeared that way. That they appeared to be just sleeping. He had been proven wrong now.

Merlin's skin was pale, almost white. Dark blue circles covered his eyes and his chest remained motionless. Behind him, Arthur could hear Gwen gasp. He wanted to turn to her and tell her everything would be okay, but his gaze was fixed on his former servant.

"I am giving you back magic," the Dragon explained. His eyes flashed golden and for a moment every star in the sky turned dark as if a large shadow was passing by them. Arthur looked back at the Dragon, watching him as he closed his golden eyes.

And then everything returned to normal again. The stars returned and the shadows were gone. The Dragon opened his eyes and smiled. Arthur didn't know what to do or what just had happened.

And then Merlin coughed softly.

_Merlin coughed_.

**AN: Another chapter done. I did it, I brought Merlin back! Yay. I could never kill Merlin. At least not without bringing him back. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you thought of it! The next chapter will be posted as soon as possible.**

**Read and Review, please =)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 9**

And then he coughed softly.

_Merlin coughed_.

-o-o-

A thousand lights surrounded him. For a moment, Merlin thought that he was standing underneath a too bright sky in the middle of the night. And only then did he remember where he was... inside the Light. That horrible Light that was slowly killing him.

He was dying. Again and again and again. The moment never ended and Merlin couldn't make it end, no matter how hard he tried or how long he wished for it to stop. When the pain was growing more intense, Merlin sucked in a deep breath, preparing himself for the next part.

For a second, just one second, everything went dark. No pain, no thoughts, no emotions. And then it all restarted and Merlin, again, needed a moment to remember where he was.

Inside the Light.

Again.

It never ended.

And then it did.

As he breathed in deep, the air filling his lungs was more fresh than he remembered it to be. It was cold as well and a sting inside his chest rose. He coughed. He actually coughed! He didn't even know he still able to do so.

As the feeling in his arms and legs slowly returned, Merlin started to hear noises. _Voices_. What was happening? He wanted to open his eyes, but it seemed he simply felt too tired to even do so. Sighing, he let himself slip back into the darkness and he realized that this time, it would last. The darkness would swallow him and he would finally be able to rest.

Merlin drifted off into a deep sleep, not fully aware of what had just happened.

-o-o-

"What did you do?" Arthur demanded to know. He felt a gush of cold air pass him, suddenly seeing Gwen rush by him. He would have taken her arm, he would have pulled her back and away from the Dragon, but she was too fast.

She kneeled down next to Merlin an took his head into her hands, having it resting in her lap. She gazed up to meet the Dragon's gaze and smiled softly. "Thank you."

Arthur turned his head to see that Lancelot came to stand next to him, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. The Prince could see that he wanted to join Gwen, but he was untrusting of the Dragon. Arthur couldn't blame him. This Dragon could not be trusted after all as he had nearly destroyed Camelot once.

Arthur swallowed heavily. Merlin had told him that he had killed the Dragon, but now it was all a lie. Was there anything that was true about his servant?

"You brought him back," Lancelot spoke, his voice rough, "why not all the others that have died?"

Arthur gazed from Lancelot to the Dragon and back. His thoughts immediately went to his father. Perhaps the Dragon could bring back the King? Perhaps Arthur still had some hope at getting his father back.

The Dragon's eyes closed for a moment, his breath coming out in long and warm exhales. When he opened his eyes again, Arthur could have sworn they were filled with sadness.

"A lot of people have lost their lives," he spoke, "and I can not bring them back."

"But Merlin-"

"Is the last Dragonlord," the Dragon spoke, interrupting Arthur, "only that bond between us allowed me to bring him back."

Arthur swallowed heavily. The last Dragonlord? Was there anything Arthur truly _knew_ about him? Memories came floating back to him, memories that were all starting to make sense now. This explained why Merlin had been upset when Balinor had died or why Arthur had seen his servant around the entrance of the cave underneath the castle so many times.

The Dragon crouched down and pushed himself up, lifting up from the ground. After only a short moment, he appeared to be nothing more than a large bird in the sky. Arthur wanted to have more answers, he wanted to know what exactly was happening to Merlin, if he truly would be okay now, but the Dragon was gone.

Arthur and Lancelot rushed to Gwen's side. Looking down at Merlin, Arthur couldn't believe that his friend was truly back. His skin still looked gray-like and dark circles underneath his eyes betrayed how tired he was.

"We have to get him to Gaius," Gwen said, pushing back some the black hair of the young sorcerer, "he has a fever."

Arthur only nodded. It was Lancelot who helped Gwen stand up while Arthur hoisted his servant up into his arms. Merlin might not look like it, but he was still very heavy. It didn't matter, though, all that mattered was that he was back.

-o-o-

Gaius had just been placing his books in order when he first heard the footsteps. They were heavy and rushed and heading towards him. The old physician turned towards the door, expecting a sick citizen to enter, needing help and medicine.

But what he saw made his heart skip a beat. Arthur entered first, Merlin in his arms. Sweat had collected itself on the forehead of the Prince and he was breathing heavily. As he lay down Merlin on the small bed in the corner of the chamber, he gazed at Gaius.

"Help him," he almost begged.

Gaius was too stunned to move. As Gwen and Lancelot entered as well, Gaius squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, he wished for all of them to be gone. He wanted to be alone again, have this daydream ended where he was about to get Merlin back.

They were still there, though, and Merlin was still laying motionless on the bed. Could it really be that he was back? That he was alive again?

"Gaius," Gwen said softly, coming to stand before him, "he's truly alive."

Her warm smile convinced Gaius that this was real. He wasn't going to wake up from this dream to find Merlin still gone. Rushing to the side of his young ward, he started checking his pulse and temperature.

"Will he be okay?" Arthur asked. He kept his distance from Gaius, wanting him to have all the room he needed.

Gaius didn't say anything for a long moment until he straightened his back and turned to gaze at the three young friends. The corners of his lips turned up into a small smile. "He will be," he answered, "he needs a lot of rest, but he'll live."

"That's all I wanted to hear," Gwen sighed in relief.

-o-o-

Arthur gazed at the wooden doors before him. They were still closed, but the Prince knew that they would soon open. He had hated leaving behind his friend, but he still had duties. As he would become King in a few days, a lot of people wanted to speak to him.

Taking in a deep breath, he waited patiently until two loud knocks filled the chamber. Arthur rose from his seat and called out. "Enter!"

The doors opened and two guards walked in. Between them, a man stood. He was older looking, his hair between gray and brown. His dark blue eyes spoke only kindness and a warm smiled filled his face. His robe was long, but just not long enough to be touching the floor as he walked forward.

Arthur swallowed heavily. His father would have had the head of this man immediately or he would at least have him arrested instantly. Arthur felt that he needed to suppress those urge as well.

"My Lord," the man bowed deeply as he spoke.

"You must be Ghalen," Arthur said. He was surprised to find his own voice this distant.

"Yes," Ghalen simply answered, "thank you for offering me this chance to talk to you."

Arthur remained silent. It had only been a day since he had considered magic to be allowed to return in the lands of Camelot again. This decision wasn't formal yet, but immediately, Arthur had received a request to meet with this man.

"I am sorry for your losses," Ghalen spoke softly, "these have been difficult times."

"Don't tell me you regret the death of my father," Arthur said, "he has killed so many of your kind."

Ghalen simply nodded. "We have indeed lost many lives," he sighed, "but so have you."

Arthur frowned. He shouldn't be looking into the words of this man, but he had the strange sensation that Ghalen knew something he did not.

"You have no reason to hate the Druids," Ghalen continued speaking, "we have never done anything to harm you."

"But magic has tried many times," Arthur countered. He remembered all the times when he had been facing death because of it.

"It protected you," Ghalen smiled, "more than you know."

"I do not understand," Arthur said as he took a step forward. He gazed into the man's eyes, trying to see if he was telling the truth or not.

"You have lost _him_ as well," Ghalen sighed, his smile having disappeared. Arthur swallowed heavily.

"_Merlin_?" he asked carefully.

The Druid only nodded. "He protected us all, did he not?" Ghalen crossed his hands before him.

"You know about Merlin?" Arthur wanted answers, he had wanted them ever since his servant jumped into that Light, and this man seemed able to give them.

"I did not know him as Merlin," Ghalen said, "his name among the Druids was Emerys."

Arthur was lost for words. What else had Merlin not told him about his life? What else had he hidden or...forgot to mention? Arthur sighed with frustration

"He's not dead," the Prince said, casting his gaze down, "he's alive." Looking back up to meet Ghalen's eyes, he saw the Druid smile.

"I'm pleased to hear that," he said, "but I don't understand."

"It's a long story," Arthur simply said. It was indeed a very long story, but he certainly didn't want to share it with this man who he barely knew. That and he was a still a Druid.

"Then it is true," Ghalen spoke, still smiling.

"What is?" Arthur's eyes were nothing more than two thin lines. He was starting to believe that all those that possessed magic spoke in riddles, that it wasn't just something Merlin did.

"That he is very powerful," Ghalen said, "you are very lucky to have him as your friend."

"Have you ever met Merlin?" Arthur asked, feeling as if this Ghalen knew Merlin better than him.

Arthur was starting to believe that he didn't know Merlin at all.

"No," Ghalen answered him, "but I have heard a lot of stories."

"I am sure that he is not the reason that you're here, though,"Arthur moved to sit down again.

"That's true," Ghalen admitted, "I am here to show you that the Druids mean you or no one else any harm."

"That is what you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes," Ghalen took a step towards the Prince, "because you'll be King soon and you can actually make some changes."

Arthur swallowed heavily. The thought of having to deal with this made him feel strangely nauseous. He had only just lost his father and now this whole magic-thing was simply too much.

Ghalen seemed to sense that Arthur was not up for this yet.

"I should not take up more of your time," Ghalen bowed his head deeply.

Arthur wanted to protest, he wanted to ask more questions about Merlin, but he could only watch Ghalen leave him in silence. The young Prince sighed. Was there truly no ordinary day in Camelot?

**AN: another chapter is done. I know you guys had to wait a long, long time for this one. I'm sorry for that. I hope this was a good chapter... It seems Arthur is learning a lot of Merlin's secrets, but how will that effect his relationship with the young warlock?**

**You'll find out soon... :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.**

**AN: (Any and all mistakes are completely my own.) **

**One of those Days**

**Chapter 10**

Arthur had been busy collecting papers and books for hours that he felt as if he had lost his head. He hardly knew what needed to be done first and he wasn't sure how his father had survived all those years being a King.

And Arthur wasn't even King yet.

The coronation was tomorrow and Arthur did not feel exited at all. He had dreamed about the day since he was a little boy, but now that the time was finally here, he couldn't begin the understand why it was that he felt...alone.

He had Gwen of course, but it felt like she was the _only_ one truly close to him. He had his Knights, but now more than ever was it important to keep a distance from them, keep everything professional. The people of Camelot needed him now more than ever and Arthur felt as if he was already letting them down.

He used to have Merlin. He would tell the Prince to follow his instincts, to do what is right, but Arthur wasn't sure if he could trust his servant anymore. Could he truly trust a sorcerer?

He sighed deeply. He should really talk to Merlin, but he hadn't dared stopping by Gaius' chambers since Merlin had returned to the Land of Living. Another thing that bugged Arthur. The Dragon had brought his servant back. How could Arthur never have seen the signs? Surely Merlin must have slipped up some time, must have shown a sign of magic.

A soft knock shook Arthur from his thoughts.

"Enter," he ordered.

The door opened and Merlin walked in. He looked like his usual self. He wore black boots, brown trousers, a red shirt and his favorite brown jacket. He still looked rather pale, but the color was slowly returning to his cheeks. He seemed to be blushing a little. Had Arthur not known better, he would have though Merlin had never died at all.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Arthur simply asked. He started gathering the rest of the papers that lay scattered over his bed and placed them on an already large pile of books.

"I'm not sick," Merlin said, "I feel fine." The young sorcerer smiled. "And Gaius doesn't know I'm here."

Arthur chuckled softly. "I figured."

"We really have to talk," Merlin said, serious again. He took a step towards the Prince and watched how he still focused on collecting all the papers of his bed. "Arthur, we can't ignore-"

"I know," Arthur interrupted him. He left the papers for what they were and turned to look at Merlin. "I just don't know what to say."

"I know I lied to you for years," Merlin started saying, "but I had no other choice."

"Because you couldn't trust me," Arthur stated. What else could it have been?

"No," Merlin quickly said, "not exactly."

"Then why?" Arthur crossed his hands before his chest, "why didn't you tell me?"

Merlin remained silent for a moment. Taking in a deep breath, he looked the Prince in the eyes. "I couldn't take the chance," he explained, "I had one task, Arthur, and didn't want to jeopardize it."

"One task?" Arthur couldn't help but think back about the Dragon's words. What was it he had said again? '_Merlin has fulfilled his task well' _ Those had been his exact words.

"Protect you," Merlin said, "my destiny was to make sure you would make it to the throne."

"I see," Arthur could only say. He wasn't sure if he was truly up for this conversation. He had so much on his mind and Merlin's magic was something he wasn't sure he could handle. Knowing was one thing, actually being confronted with it, talking about it, was another.

"Come on, Arthur," Merlin said, sounded almost desperate for some more response, "you have to think something more than that. You have to feel something about all this!"

"I do," Arthur admitted, "but I feel like I can't handle this right now."

"You have to," Merlin said, "Arthur, you just discovered I am a sorcerer."

"I have struggled with that," Arthur sighed, "more than you can imagine. You were dead, you were gone!" Arthur let himself drop on the side of his bed. A few of the papers fell onto the floor, but Arthur ignored it. "You jumped into that Light. Why?"

Merlin pressed his lips together. "It was the only option," he said after a short moment of silence, "I couldn't stand by and watch others die."

Arthur exhaled sharply.

"I used my magic for good," Merlin continued talking, "I have always done so and I will do so for the rest of my life."

Arthur folded his hands in his laps, his gaze falling to the floor. "You have to understand," he spoke softly, "that doesn't make any sense to me. My father taught me magic is evil, that it corrupts and only seeks to destroy and then you do..._that_."

"Your father was wrong."

Arthur's gaze shot up, meeting Merlin's eyes and only seeing determination in them.

"I serve you," Merlin said, "I am loyal to you and for as long as you want me, I'll be your servant."

"So let me get this straight," Arthur said, a gentle smile playing around the corners of his lips, "you have magic, rather powerful magic and you _still_ want to be my servant?"

Merlin thought about that question for a while and then he started nodded. "How else would you keep your head?" he laughed.

Arthur laughed with him. These were the times he had missed; idiotic moment with Merlin. Moments were all of his other troubles disappeared for just a second.

"You'll be a great King," Merlin assured him, "I know it."

"Thank you," Arthur smiled. Standing up from his bed, he watched the fallen papers on the floor. "Since you are my servant again, I guess you better start cleaning this up."

Merlin's smile disappeared, making Arthur laugh only harder. Yes, Arthur thought, perhaps things weren't all that different after all.

The end.

**AN: I know this ending seems a little abrupt, but I am so busy with schoolwork (and two other Merlin stories that just won't leave me alone) that I decided to end this one. I just didn't want to forget about this and leave it open. **

**I'm sorry of this disappoints, but I made it a happy end. This was how I always wanted to end the story and I wrote it as well as I could.**

**Thanks to those that have stuck with this story until the end! You guys rock!**


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